Business Profilefor1st Concrete Snow & Lawn

1st Concrete replaced my patio area in front of my home. 1 year after completion, I noticed that there was a large puddle in the same place after it rained. I did not notice this during the first year because we had a pretty bad drought that first year. When I called ***** he did come over to take a look but I was not home. He did get back to me and told me that my patio pavers were stopping drainage in that area and that he is not responsible because it was past the one year warranty period. I ended up moving the pavers back 2 inches so there was plenty of room for drainage. Long story short, there is still a major puddle in that area and he basically said "Warranty is up. Too bad." I paid a lot of money to have a nice patio and now I am stuck with a large puddle in the summer and an ice pond in the winter. There are also several areas where spots have appeared which are embedded in the concrete. He also blamed me for causing these even though I had a second opinion from another concrete guy who stated that they were a 'defect' in the concrete installation. I would NOT recommend having concrete work done with this company.

Its unfortunate that this customer is no longer satisfied with her project and is contrary to what she previously communicated in writing. In August 2020 this customer requested and received a proposal for a number of concrete areas. Our warranty period, which is commensurate with the statutory requirements of the ******************, was expressly stated on that proposal. She accepted the proposal, and thereby the expressed warranty.Weather required her project be pushed to the following spring but by then she contacted us, stating she was financially strapped, citing very wrong advice from her financial planner. She further stated that she needed to cut-back on her project to hopefully save her a little bit of money. We kindly replied that we would revisit her project to see if we could help save her some money. When we contacted her to start her project, her reply was, I would like to talk with you about what I can afford to have done.After working with this customer to reduce her project costs and complete her remaining project, she wrote, Your guys did a GREAT job on the patio and step overlay! I've had a couple neighbors take a look and are thinking of having their patio/sidewalk done sometime in the future and I told them I would highly recommend you. I could tell your team took pride in their work and it shows. I will be more than happy to refer them to you when they are ready to do it.Although there had been a year of normal precipitation, this customer never once made contact regarding any standing water. She then contacted us, stating she was just noticing she had a puddle at the bottom of her step. A physical review of this puddle was completed, and it was visibly obvious that brick edging, which was placed along the slope, was obstructing most drainage. Her concrete is surrounded by three permanent structures, leaving only that single direction for all water to escape. This was also obvious from photos she had sent but an onsite visit was made as a customer courtesy, despite the warranty having recently ended. This obstruction was explained to the customer, and it was suggested that she remove her brick edging to allow the appropriate drainage to occur.A month later, this customer contacted us alleging a spider crack appeared in her step. Spider cracks are expressly excluded from concrete warranties because concrete naturally shrinks and often develops small, vein-type surface cracks that do not affect the structure. This was explained to the customer.Despite her warranty period now having ended, this customer again contacted us weeks later but this time stating she had spots in several areas. At the height of the season and before having a chance to respond to her latest (and brand-new allegation), she contacted us again but this time, asking if we considered her concerns with her sidewalk. We never installed a sidewalk (she had taken it out of scope for affordability).A month later this customer contacted us, stating that our crew put her brick edging in wrong. We explained that if our crew had made a mistake, a simple phone call would have allowed us to correct this, which we would have been happy to do for her. She also readdressed her spots that previously were alleged to be in several areas but now asking, Why did they just show up in that particular area? They are not stained from anything Ive done. She also stated the crack was returning in her step, which is physically impossible. Concrete cracks will never appear and then disappear to return at a later date.Only another month passed before this customer contacted us with the same concerns we had already addressed. In spite of her insults, she was given a kind and thorough response that used her own photos as factual explanation. Specifically, spots in an isolated area appearing well over a year after installation could be anything (e.g.: planters, spills, animal urine, seasonal chemical applications, lichen and even from water pooling). It definitely is not a product or installation problem. Any defective concrete or faulty workmanship is obvious within the first year of installation and is never limited to only a particular area. It is the same product and same workmanship throughout the entire installation. She was also reminded that she never brought her issues to our attention until after her warranty, which was clearly provided on the front of her proposal prior to her accepting it, had ended.It was only a couple weeks before this customer contacted us again, stating that the spots are no longer spots but instead, indentations embedded into the concrete and what was previously described (and witnessed) as an isolated area suddenly changed to several large areas. She again was insulting and demanded there are defects in her concrete. At this time, it was obvious that she had buyers remorse and may possibly be seeking monetary compensation. In her overwhelming correspondences, this customer alleged friends, real estate appraisers and numerous neighbors all asked about her spots but in this most recent BBB review/complaint she alleges a contractor has looked at her project, which is a new resource leveraged to attempt to make a case. A concrete contractor who would suggest that spots in a limited area and not appearing for over a year after installation is somehow due to faulty workmanship or product, clearly doesnt understand that faulty workmanship or product would be very apparent throughout an area and never first appear over a year after installation. She made sure to state that she will dig up her brick border, but she wont be able to do it until next year because the wasps are increasing, and she is severely allergic to bee stings.Just recently this customer contacted us again, stating that she moved her bricks, and the water is still pooling. As was previously explained to **************, her concrete was installed per American Concrete Institute (ACI) standards. The only ACI document that discusses slope of exterior patio slabs is ACI 302.1R-04.1. It states: Positive drainage requires a slope of 1/4 in./ft (20 mm/m). However, even at this slope, some standing water (often called birdbaths) should be expected after a rain due to construction tolerances and normal surface deformations over time.In this review/complaint from this customer, she defends her silence, allowing her warranty to expire, by stating we had a pretty bad drought that first year. That first year was the first year after her installation, or specifically, May 2021 to May 2022 but thats not true. According to the **** / ************************ (see https://www.weather.gov/wrh/Climate?wfo=mpx), and contrary to her allegations, there were ***** of precipitation AFTER her project was installed, compared to only ***** of precipitation for the same period one year earlier (or May 2020 May 2021). There was no drought. She also stated that when she brought the standing water to our attention that we said ******** is up. Too bad. Those words were never stated and, once the bees cleared and she was able to move her brick edging to her liking, we would have been willing to assist despite no warranty, but it is apparent from her barrage of emails, her numerous insults and even this latest BBB review/complaint, that this customer is not honest, and we are more than happy to end the relationship as it stands.

I am providing this response because I do not agree with many of the assertions mentioned in the above commentary. First of all, yes, my income changed dramatically from when I first contacted 1st Concrete and could no longer afford re-doing the sidewalk along with the patio and step area in front of my home. ***** did understand so we agreed on a lesser portion of the concrete area to be done. I WAS happy with the job and told him they did a great job - which is what should be expected at the completion of a job. I didn't question the workmanship for the first year as I was very happy to have it done. This past spring is when issues started arising that I began to notice. I also did not examine closely enough the one year warranty on the contract which 1st Concrete did not point out. I guess that is my fault but assumed a reputable company would stand behind their work. The neighbor next door stopped over and pointed out the puddle that was ponding in the same place every time it rained. He also commented on the crack on the top step which had also been repaired by 1st Concrete. When ***** stopped over, making sure I knew my one year warranty was over he insisted that the water had nowhere to run off because of the garden pavers next to the new concrete. 1st Concrete workers had removed them before the job and then replaced them afterwards facing a different direction than what I had. I didn't care because I figured they replaced them that way for a reason - possibly drainage? When he told me to move the pavers back to allow drainage, I did that leaving at least 2" between the patio concrete and the pavers. That made no difference whatsoever. I also NEVER stated that the crack in the top step went away and "returned again?" It has remained there since the first time I reported it to 1st Concrete. I did have several friends, neighbors and a *********** Appraiser stop by and all were in agreement that these were issues. I figured that these problems were mine to deal with - not 1st Concrete since yes, the warranty period was over. So now the spots. They developed over at least half to two-thirds of the newly installed concrete. ".: planters, spills, animal urine, seasonal chemical applications, lichen and even from water pooling" is what 1st Concrete concluded. I tried to cleaned these spots in a small area and nothing was going to take them out of the cement. As summer progressed, the "spots" became indented into the cement with a definite depression in each spot. I don't use chemicals anywhere in my yard or garden and these individual spots are not from animal urine. Also, I was not using a "New Resource" to "make a case." There was another contracting company working in my neighborhood this summer and I asked the owner if he would just offer an opinion on the concrete puddling I was getting in the same area all the time. I told him that 1st Concrete told me the pavers were causing the puddling and I moved them back. He took a careful look, took some measurements, brought out his level and came to the conclusion that the one area of concrete put in my patio was not leveled properly for drainage. It should be draining across my sidewalk into the grass not into the concrete paver area. He also said that the spots were embedded into the concrete and cannot be certain why but most probably would not be caused by a chemical or animal urine. To ******* response that I was "insulting him with a barrage of emails" this is not true. I sent him a request including photos and would not hear back from him after a week or two so I tried again. I was always polite noting that I understood how busy he must be at this time of year. I am not looking for any kind of monetary compensation or dealings with 1st Concrete. My issue was never about the "pavers being put back the wrong way - and with just a phone call they would have come out to move them." I can and did fix that myself. I am being completely honest and don't expect anything from 1st Concrete. I had the right to rate my experience with this company which I have done. Possible referrals I had originally offered went away when potential customers saw 1st hand the issues that developed 14 - 17 months after the project was completed. I am an honest person and I spent a lot of money on this project, something that should be done only once in my lifetime after living here for 30 years. I am just very disappointed.